Key takeaways
- Twindexx Vario is a coach family, not a multiple unit: the coaches have no drive of their own and are pulled or pushed by a locomotive.
- Push-pull principle: locomotive at one end, driving trailer with a cab at the other – no need to run the locomotive round.
- Distinction from the Twindexx Express: that is a powered double-deck multiple unit with its own class numbers.
- Recognition feature: double-deck coaches plus a separate locomotive at one end of the train.
- Locomotive assignments change with service contracts – which locomotive hauls which rake is never a fixed fact.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Double-deck coach family for locomotive-hauled push-pull trains |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Bombardier Transportation, Görlitz works, today Alstom |
| Body types | Intermediate coaches and driving trailers with a cab |
| Train formation | Push-pull train made up of several coaches and one electric locomotive |
| Typical locomotive | Four-axle electric locomotive, often from the TRAXX family |
| Typical maximum speed | up to 160 km/h |
| Related type | Twindexx Express as a multiple unit, DB Classes 445 and 446 |
| Service | Regional services, and as the Intercity 2 in long-distance traffic |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Double-deck coaches with a low-floor entrance and a curved sidewall line
- Driving trailer with a cab at one end of the train, locomotive at the other
- The train unit has no drive of its own in the coaches – the locomotive does the work
- Windows arranged in two staggered bands, upper and lower
- In long-distance service as the Intercity 2, painted in long-distance colours rather than the regional livery
- Coach numbers and train category are shown on the coach side and on the destination board
Updated: August 2026 – Double-deck coaches are the backbone of German regional services, and Twindexx Vario is the product name behind a large share of them. The key thing to know: this is not a multiple unit, but coaches that are moved by a stand-alone locomotive. This page explains what that means for identification and for photography.
Spotted a double-deck train? Don't forget the locomotive
With push-pull trains, the locomotive is the part that actually changes – log both together in Traintrack.
What is the Twindexx Vario, exactly?
Twindexx Vario is a double-deck coach family from Bombardier Transportation, built at the Görlitz works, which today belongs to Alstom. The family comprises intermediate coaches and driving trailers with a cab. These coaches have no drive of their own: traction comes from an electric locomotive at one end of the train, in Germany predominantly a four-axle machine, often from the TRAXX family.
The name Vario stands for the idea of assembling rakes of different lengths from the same coach types, depending on how many seats a line needs. That is exactly the advantage over a fixed multiple unit: the rake can be lengthened, shortened, and combined with different locomotives.
Understanding the push-pull principle: locomotive at the front or the back?
Anyone watching a double-deck train sees it looking completely different depending on the direction of travel. Sometimes the locomotive leads, sometimes the driving trailer does. Both are normal and part of the concept.
Check the end of the train
If there's a stand-alone locomotive at one end, you're looking at a locomotive-hauled push-pull train – not a multiple unit.
Spot the driving trailer
At the other end sits a coach with a cab. From the front it looks like a powered vehicle, but it has no drive.
Read the direction of travel
If the driving trailer leads, the locomotive is pushing. That's the normal case on the return trip, not a special working.
Identify the locomotive separately
Note the class and running number of the locomotive on its own – it's the piece of information that can change from day to day.
Which train number belongs to which working, and where it’s shown on the vehicle and at the station, is explained in the guide on finding train numbers.
Coach rake or multiple unit? The practical comparison
The distinction is more than a formality: it determines what you can actually document, and what changes over time.
| Feature | Locomotive-hauled push-pull train | Double-deck multiple unit |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | in the separate locomotive | distributed across the whole train |
| Formation | flexibly extendable | fixed unit |
| Changing parts | locomotive changes often | unit stays together |
| Class number | locomotive and coaches counted separately | one class for the whole train |
| Interesting for spotters | which locomotive is leading today | which unit is in service |
You’ll find the powered sister type under Class 445 / 446 (Bombardier Twindexx Express). In northern Germany, double-deck rakes are also traditionally worked by machines such as the Class 112.1.
Assignments are not permanent
Which locomotive class hauls which double-deck rake depends on service contracts, vehicle assignments and workshop schedules. These assignments change with new contract awards and timetable years – never treat them as a fixed rule, and always check the current situation.
Which locomotive is hauling the double-decker today?
Community sightings show you the current locomotive-and-rake combinations on your line.
Photo tips for double-deck trains
Double-deck trains are tall, long, and often stand at the platform against the light. That makes them an underrated, tricky subject.
Gain some distance
A tall coach body needs distance, or the lines start to lean. Shooting from the end of the platform makes the train look much calmer.
Locomotive and train in one shot
A slight three-quarter angle shows the locomotive and the coach rake at the same time – documenting the combination that actually matters.
Photograph the driving trailer separately
The driving trailer looks like a powered vehicle and is a subject in its own right, especially in special liveries.
Work safely on the platform
Stay behind the safety line, never step onto track areas, and never underestimate through trains.
Which stations are especially suited to shots like this is covered in the overview of the best stations for trainspotting in Germany.
Why double-deck coaches shape regional services
The reason you see these vehicles almost everywhere is simple: space. A double-deck coach offers considerably more seats per metre of train length than a single-deck one. On routes with heavy commuter traffic and limited platform length, that’s the decisive advantage – you can carry more people without lengthening the train or running a denser timetable.
That comes with trade-offs. Double-deck coaches are heavy, boarding and alighting take longer, and stairs limit movement inside the train. That’s precisely why they’ve become established in regional services, while in German long-distance traffic they remain a niche – there, short journey times and comfort count for more than the maximum seat count.
For the train formation, this results in a very practical structure. A rake consists of several intermediate coaches and one driving trailer. If more capacity is needed, a coach is added. If the locomotive isn’t powerful enough, it gets swapped. Both can happen independently of each other – and that’s exactly the difference from a multiple unit, where drive and capacity are permanently tied together.
For spotters, this separation is the real appeal. The coaches stay the same for years and are hard to tell apart from the outside. The locomotive in front, by contrast, is a variable quantity: it changes with workshop visits, assignments and service contracts. Anyone who regularly watches the same route often notices these changes earlier than any official announcement does.
There’s a second point worth adding: driving trailers are vehicles in their own right, with their own numbers. They’re often forgotten in sightings, even though they’re just as present on the platform as the locomotive. Anyone who wants to document properly should ideally note three things – locomotive, rake and driving trailer. That sounds like extra effort, but it turns an offhand note into an observation you can actually work with later.
Common mix-ups
It points to a locomotive-hauled double-deck train if …
- a stand-alone locomotive stands at one end of the train
- a driving trailer with a cab sits at the other end
- the coaches are double-decked and make no drive noise
- the rake can be assembled at different lengths
Look more closely if …
- you only see the driving trailer – at first glance it looks like a multiple unit
- the train is painted in long-distance colours
- the locomotive stands at the rear of the train and is pushing
It's not a locomotive-hauled train if …
- there's a cab without a separate locomotive at both ends
- the unit is lettered as a single, closed class
- there's no visible separation between locomotive and coach rake
How to work through such features systematically in general is covered in the guide to identifying classes.
Verdict
The Twindexx Vario is a good example of why you need to distinguish between the vehicle and the train formation. The coaches stay the same for years, while the locomotive in front can change weekly. Anyone who logs both separately ends up with more interesting data – and notices sooner when something changes on their home route.
In short
Double-deck coaches plus a separate locomotive plus a driving trailer: that's a push-pull train, not a multiple unit. Always log the locomotive separately – it's the part that changes.
Log locomotive and rake cleanly, separately
That's how you spot over time which machines really run regularly on your line.
Summary
- The Twindexx Vario embodies the classic German regional-service concept: plenty of seats in double-deck coaches, hauled by a powerful electric locomotive.
- The combination of locomotive and driving trailer allows quick turnarounds at terminus stations without any need for shunting.
- For identification, the coach itself matters less than the question of whether a stand-alone locomotive is present at the end of the train.
- Because locomotives and rakes are rostered independently of each other, it pays to log both parts separately.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Twindexx Vario?
Twindexx Vario is the name for a double-deck coach family from Bombardier, built at the Görlitz works and today part of Alstom's programme. The coaches have no drive of their own; together with an electric locomotive and a driving trailer, they form a push-pull train.
What is the difference to the Twindexx Express?
The Twindexx Express is a powered double-deck multiple unit with its own class numbers, 445 and 446 in Germany. The Vario, by contrast, is a pure coach family with no drive of its own. From the outside, the most reliable way to tell them apart is whether a stand-alone locomotive is coupled at the end of the train.
What is a push-pull train?
A train unit that can be driven from both ends: a locomotive stands at one end, and a driving trailer with a cab at the other. At the terminus, the driver simply changes ends instead of running the locomotive round. That saves time and shunting moves – practically indispensable for dense-interval services.
Which locomotives haul Twindexx Vario rakes?
In Germany, predominantly four-axle electric locomotives, often from the TRAXX family. Which class actually runs in front of which rake depends on the service contract, the vehicle assignment and the timetable year, and changes regularly. So check current sightings rather than older reports.
What is the Intercity 2?
A long-distance variant of the double-deck concept: double-deck coaches in long-distance colours with a matching electric locomotive, deployed on routes for which no high-speed trains are planned. Visually, the livery is what stands out most – the underlying concept is the same as a regional push-pull train.
How fast do double-deck coaches run?
The common types are designed for speeds of up to around 160 km/h. In everyday service, though, the line speed and the hauling locomotive matter more than the coach itself. On regional routes the top figure is rarely reached anyway.
How do I tell double-deck coaches of different generations apart?
By window shape, entrance area and roofline. Older types look more angular, newer ones have more strongly curved sidewalls and wider door areas. For a reliable identification, check the twelve-digit vehicle number, which contains the type key.
Should I log the locomotive and the rake separately?
Yes. Locomotives and coach rakes are rostered independently of one another – the same rake runs with different locomotives on different days. Anyone who only logs "saw a double-deck train" loses the actually interesting piece of information: which machine was in front that day.
Log your sighting of the Bombardier Twindexx Vario
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
Bombardier TRAXX
TRAXX isn't a single class but a platform: the same base locomotive in many variants. Here's how to decode the type designations and identify the family.
EMUClass 445 / 446 (Bombardier Twindexx Express)
The Class 445 is a double-deck multiple unit: double-deck cars with their own drive and no separate locomotive. Its intermediate cars run as Class 446.
Electric locoDB Class 112.1
The DB Class 112.1 is the fast regional-service locomotive from Hennigsdorf. Here's how to recognise it and tell it apart from the related Classes 114 and 143.
Electric locoDB Class 101
The Class 101 is Deutsche Bahn's classic long-distance locomotive: 145 engines, 220 km/h, in front of IC and EC trains since the late 1990s. Here's how to reliably recognise it.
Electric locoDB Class 102
The DB Class 102 is a small series of six Škoda locomotives that run with double-deck express trains. Here's how to recognise them and tell them apart from Classes 101 and 111.
Electric locoDB Class 103
The DB Class 103 was the flagship of German long-distance rail for decades: six axles, 200 km/h, TEE red. Here's how to recognise it and find it today.
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